A storm system brought strong gusty winds along with critical fire weather conditions.
Every event with a place to put it; 27 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS LKN wrote it up.
A storm system brought strong gusty winds along with critical fire weather conditions.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 30, 8:24 AM PST, 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Elko NV 924 AM PDT Sat May 30 2020 .SYNOPSIS...A storm system will bring strong and gusty winds along with critical fire weather conditions to Nevada today. An accompanying cold front will move across northern Nevada through tonight, bringing calmer and cooler conditions on Sunday. A few opportunities for rain showers will exist next week but significant precipitation is not expected. && .UPDATE...Added isolated thunderstorms to parts of Humboldt County. A trough axis will cut through northwest Nevada today and a secondary axis will keep winds gusty until after midnight in Humboldt County. .FIRE WEATHER...Isolated thunderstorms will have an LAL value of 2 in fire zone 437 today through this evening. Winds will remain gusty through the evening and subside after midnight. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED AT 331 AM / SYNOPSIS...A storm system will bring strong and gusty winds along with critical fire weather conditions to Nevada today. An accompanying cold front will move across northern Nevada through tonight, bringing calmer and cooler conditions on Sunday. A few opportunities for rain showers will exist next week but significant precipitation is not expected. SHORT TERM...Today through Monday. An impressive low-level wind field associated with a strong jet will develop across the area this morning and into the afternoon. South to southwest winds of 25-35 mph with gusts approaching 60 mph are expected across central Nevada across southern Lander and Eureka counties as well as White Pine county where High Wind Warnings are in effect. Slightly lower wind speeds are expected across the I-80 corridor but will still be quite high. In addition, blowing dust is almost certain in some areas given these wind speeds with visibility dropping to below 5 miles in some areas. A very dry airmass combined with the strong winds will also create critical fire weather conditions today as well. The low and associated jet will move into the Pacific Northwest area by Sunday allowing winds to diminish considerably tonight across much of northwestern Nevada. Steady southwest flow will continue through Monday with gusty afternoon winds across central and eastern Nevada. A few showers will occur across Humboldt county today but little to no precip is expected with otherwise dry conditions through Monday for the rest of the state. Temperatures will be cooler today after record breaking heat Friday with highs mostly in the 80s. Lows will be considerably cooler tonight as a cooler air mass moves into the region. Lows will drop into the 40s tonight moderating back up to the 50s by Sunday night. LONG TERM...Tuesday through Saturday. Situation begins with model agreement on the large features over North America with a strong upper high over central NOAM and a closed upper low over the Pacific just west of SoCal. Another closed low sits over the northern Gulf of Alaska, shooting zonal flow across the northern US and southern Canada. This puts the Great Basin in southerly flow between the Pacific low and central ridge. As the week progresses the high extends a weak lobal ridge into the Basin while the Pacific low fills, and the northerly zonal flow buckles under the onslaught of shortwaves and eventually drops a wave into the central western US. Result is warm and dry Tuesday, but quickly turning to more moist and a bit cooler with short wave approaching. Chances for thunderstorms each afternoon starting Tuesday. Most storms will be on the wet side, though not likely frog chokers. Temps warm to very warm initially, then cool down a bit as the week progresses until Saturday they drop below normal and even chilly again in the morning. AVIATION...A potent upper trough will track northward across Nevada on Saturday accompanied by an unusually strong wind field aloft. Widespread 40 to 50 kt 700 mb winds with a brief max of 60 kts over central Nevada along US 50 in the late morning will cause southerly surface winds to gust up to near 40 kts at KEKO and KBAM, around 45 kts at KWMC and KTPH, and near 50 kts at KELY. This will result in areas of blowing dust which will cause MVFR VIS conditions as well as critical wildfire conditions given very low relative humidities and afternoon temperatures around 90. FIRE WEATHER...Critical fire weather conditions are expected today across most of Nevada. Strong and gusty south to southwest winds combined with a very dry air mass with relative humidity less than 10 percent in many valleys will result in red flag conditions beginning this morning and lasting through the afternoon hours. Blowing dust may also inhibit distant visual identification potential fire starts. The strongest winds will be across central Nevada and the US-50 corridor. Winds will subside tonight as the storm system moves out of the region. Gusty winds are still expected Sunday and Monday across central and eastern Nevada but will remain below critical thresholds. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until 8 PM PDT this evening for Central Elko County-Central Nevada-Toiyabe-Central Nevada-Toiyabe-Eastern Elko County-Northern Nye County-Mojave-W Elko County, N Eureka and Lander Counties N of I80-White Pine and Northeast Nye Counties. Wind Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening for Humboldt County- Northeastern Nye County-Northern Elko County-Northern Lander County and Northern Eureka County-Northwestern Nye County-Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range-South Central Elko County- Southeastern Elko County-Southwest Elko County. High Wind Warning until 8 PM PDT this evening for Southern Lander County and Southern Eureka County-White Pine County. && 92/99
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
25 high wind, 2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Ely Airport (KELY), Elevation 6244 feet.
Timber Mountain (TMBN2), Elevation 9000 feet.
Three and one-tenth miles SE West Wendover UPR (UP994), Elevation 4408 feet.
Crane Springs Raws (CRSN2), Elevation 6414 feet.
Ten and eight-tenths miles S. Contact (ONLNV), Elevation 5668 feet.
Ruby Valley Raws (RBVN2), Elevation 6899 feet.
Mather Raws (MTHN2), Elevation 9268 feet.
Seven Mile Raws (SEVN2), Elevation 7725 feet.
Eureka Airport ASOS (KP68), Elevation 5952 feet.
Combs Canyon Raws (COMN2), Elevation 6589 feet.
Pancake Raws (PANN2), Elevation 5165 feet.
Beacon Light Raws (BATN2), Elevation 4789 feet.
Coils Creek Raws (COIN2), Elevation 6745 feet.
Eight-tenths of a mile NW. Pinto Summit (PINNV), Elevation 7315 feet.
Alligator Ridge Raws (ALLN2), Elevation 6674 feet.
Ely Airport Cemp (CMP25), Elevation 6250 feet.
Station DNEP8, 4.3 E Baker, Elevation 5185 feet.
Station (DNEP7), 2.3 W Baker, Elevation 6035 feet.
Station (BFTNV), 12.8 E Hickison Summit, Elevation 6303 feet.
Station (PANNV), 12.5 E Pinto Summit, Elevation 6527 feet.
Eureka Airport (K05U), Elevation 5952 feet.
Austin (KTMT), Elevation 5732 feet.
Station (UP972), 3.2 E Beowawe, Elevation 4734 feet.
Double H (DBLN2), Elevation 6379 feet.
Public reported tree branch 6 to 8 inches in diameter broke due to high winds. Wind speed at KELY ASOS recorded an estimated gust of 58 mph at the time.
Public reported tree limbs 7 to 10 inches in diameter broke due to high winds as well as a helicopter blown over at the airport. Wind speed at Elko ASOS recorded an estimated gust in near 45 mph.
The public reported a treetop blown off of a tree at the golf course in Ely. KELY ASOS reported an estimated gust of 48 mph at the time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, May 2020
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 883940, 883946, 883949, 883950, 883951, 883952, 883953, 883954, 883955, 883956, 883957, 883958, 883959, 883960, 883961, 883962, 887871, 887872, 887874, 887875, 887876, 887878, 887880, 887881, 888771, 888800, 888809.